Talk:Nowhere to Run (1)/@comment-3085869-20111003104339/@comment-3575890-20111003112934
So you're saying, because more than one character played a key role in each storyline, that that constitutes as relationship-based. That logic just as well applies to old Degrassi. The root of Elli's self mutilation was her mother. Liberty's pregnany as well as JT selling drugs was all about Jiberty. And Parcy were given plenty of exposure in Darcy's rape storyline. Craig's abuse storyline traced back to his relationship with his father. How is that any different from Bobby playing a key role in Fiona's abuse storyline? The only defining difference is that Fi's abuser was her boyfriend instead of a father figure and her storyline actually expanded to greater heights than Craig's, who's came to a close the moment Albert passed. (until Voices Carry, which opened up a new chapter in his life but really had nothing to do with the Albert arc.) And if you want an even closer parallel, look no further than the Terri-Rick arc. That was just as much wrapped around a relationship. Eli's relationship with Julia was not the central-focus of his hoarding, but rather it was her death - the subject of loss - that is the root of the issue. Julia may have been the reason Eli started hoarding, but death and loss was the theme behind it, and typically loss is usually what drives people to hoard to begin with. How else could they have done the storyline without factoring Julia into it? Now I agree with you in that the majority of Riley's storylines had plenty to do with his relationship with Zane, but ever since the introduction of Zane, Zane has always been an accessory to Riley's plots. No. The gang storyline did not revolve around Drew AND Bianca. For the majority of that storyline, they were broken up and Drew clearly had the main floor. Bianca practically disappeared off the face of the earth until the very end of Now or Never. True, we don't know a whole lot about Katie's history of anorexia, but like I said, that plot is far from over. With Degrassi, characters always relapse sooner or later and Don't Panic could just as well have been the tip of the iceberg. I personally took it as foreshadowing. As for anorexia, there's no clear-cut explanation as to what drives the disease. For some, it stems from self image, like you said, but not always either. It can just as well be a form of self affliction like cutting. Personally, I didn't think Emma's anorexia storyline was all that realistic either. Her self image issues pretty much came from out of nowhere; at least if they were to follow up on Katie's anorexia, there's the events of Don't Panic to fall back on. Actually, I think it's more realistic for a teenage kid to bring a knife to school as a joke or prank rather than actually USE it. How many sociopathic teenagers do you know that would actually maim or kill someone? There may be psychopaths in every school, but most teenage kids are not psychotic and evil like Drake. Relationships.. how are they any less realistic than they were before? From what I remember, couples practically formed overnight in the earlier seasons. And season five from what I remember, revolved heavily around relationships. "And you never see things like when Emma and Manny snuck into a dance, or when Craig lived in the school" - The Tenners have had plenty of light plots to keep the atmosphere balanced. And Craig's homeless plot was pretty pointless given it only lasted for one episode and the Caitlin/Joey/Kevin Smith relationship bullshit took up most of it. Also, if memory serves me, Ashley was the reason Craig went off the deep end in the first place. "And you never see people dealing with their nationality and being teased about it." Aside from Hazel's forgettable plot in season two, what other instance was this ever addressed with old school Degrassi? And how does dealing with nationalities and cultural differences not apply to Alli and Sav? I remember the older seasons by heart, and I just don't see much of a difference in how relationships factored into plot lines compared to now. To be completely honest here in fact, I think a lot of the newer episodes that compare in subject matter to the older infinitely surpass it's predecessors: Kenna's pregnancy plot was better than Jiberty's as it not only spanned out for a longer period of time, but it also delved into parenthood. Eli's bipolar plot was handled better than Craig's IMO because it was carefully paced and explored more thoroughly than Craig's, who's was basically initiated and concluded in one episode, then never touched on again. Fi's alcoholism in comparison to Ellie's; there's really no competition. And then there have been episodes of this generation that were new to the canvas all together: Adam's transgenderism, Holly J's kidney transplant, KC's inappropriate relationship with his coach, Jane's father molesting her; all of which were fantastic and groundbreaking to the overall series.